Mexican Navy ship collides: Authorities said that two sailors were killed and 19 others were injured when a towering Mexican Navy ship struck the Brooklyn Bridge on May 17. The tops of the ship’s masts were ripped off.
“We are praying for everyone on board and their families and are grateful to our first responders who quickly jumped into action, ensuring this accident wasn’t much worse,” Eric Adams, the mayor of New York, said on X.
The Mexican Navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc, which is used for sail training and goodwill tours to foreign countries, lost power shortly before colliding with the bridge at approximately 8:20 p.m. ET, according to authorities.
Two of the 277 people on board died, and 19 sustained injuries. Two of the wounded were critically ill.
Online videos showed the ship passing beneath the bridge, which connected the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan in New York City, as its masts, which appeared to be decorated with holiday lights, struck the bridge.
During the crash, an automobile can be seen crossing the bridge.
According to fire officials, 277 passengers were on board the ship when it crashed.
According to a statement put on X by FDNY chief of training Michael Meyers, “We knew immediately that we had a serious incident with a boat striking the bridge, so we had reports of people in the water” when FDNY marine units arrived.
According to Meyers, EMS personnel went to the boat to tend to the more badly injured passengers who were still on board. After that, they were brought to Pier 16, which is located in lower Manhattan beneath the Brooklyn Bridge. There, authorities had a place to collect casualties and an EMS staging area where they could evaluate victims.
According to Meyers, those with the most severe injuries were taken to the hospital right away.
Videos showed numerous individuals hanging from the ship’s crossbeams in what looked to be white sailor uniforms. At the foot of the bridge, close to South Street Seaport in New York City, onlookers were spotted fleeing the approaching ship.
A current fact sheet from the ship’s handlers states that Cuauhtémoc is a three-masted, steel-hulled barque that is 300 feet long and was launched in 1982. The ship, which bears the name of the final Aztec ruler, serves as the Heroic Naval Military School’s instructional tall ship for fourth-year cadets in the Mexican Navy. The data sheet states that she and her 261-member crew represent Mexico diplomatically overseas.
A few days prior, the Mexican Consulate in New York announced that the training ship will dock at Pier 17 and that anyone was invited to come for free between May 13 and May 17.
Completed in 1883, the suspension bridge serves as a major route between Manhattan and Brooklyn and is a well-liked tourist destination.
